


Meeting

by xxxshino



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen, M/M, can be natori/natsume if you want, spoilers are super minor, spoilers for chapt 60-62 and 72-74... iirc, spoilers for s6e4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 10:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10807269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxshino/pseuds/xxxshino
Summary: Based on S6E4 and Chapt 60~ish.It's raining, Natsume catches a small cold, Natori fusses. Natsume now has a handkerchief from Natori. Now his entire class know that Natsume and Natori are friends.





	Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything for quite some time, so forgive me if the writing style is a bit... off. Haven't been using English much these days. (It is my first language though... ^^;)

Natori-san is a bit of an enigma, Natsume thinks. The first time they met was purely coincidental, and who knows if they would even cross paths later in life if not for that coincidence. Though, Nyanko-sensei seems to be under the impression that they would have crossed paths either way because of some ‘weird link’ between the two. Perhaps there is some truth behind it, considering the numerous times Natori has popped out of nowhere to save him from danger. It was as if the actor has a Natsume danger alarm somewhere and somehow.

‘Just like now,’ Natsume thought as he crashed right into Natori’s arms. Natsume sighed in relief, thankful for the last-minute aid. Who knows what bones he would have broken from a fall at such a height without any cushion? For one, he definitely did not trust Nyanko-sensei to react fast enough to catch him.

“Sheesh, what are you doing, Natsume?” Natori chided.

“Natori-san!”, Natsume exclaimed as he snapped out of his stupor. He turned to greet the exorcist, only to flush red at the lack of distance between them. Natori’s face was way too close for comfort (like always), and his hands had a firm grip on Natsume’s arms, almost protective. (For some reason, body contact is always common with the exorcists Natsume has crossed paths with… well, thinking about Matoba only serves as a reminder for his bad experiences.)

“It has been a while, Natsume---” A fit of coughs and Natsume immediately got off Natori, slightly abashed. The impact from the fall was no joke despite Natsume’s petite stature.

“Sorry, Natori-san!” Natsume apologised profusely.

“It’s no problem, Natsume. I’m glad to see that you are alright.” The exorcist shoots him one of his usual smiles and ruffles Natsume’s hair endearingly. The boy blushes and pouts at the gesture. Patting his head is one thing; ruffling his hair is another.

“Shuuichi-san? I’m sorry for dragging him into this, this was my fault---” Tsukiko-san fumbled.

Natori shakes his head in reassurance. “It’s alright, do not fret. Shall we head inside to talk?”

 

* * *

 

 

Tsukiko explains the situation at hand and so does Natori, with Natsume and Nyanko-sensei paying close attention to the ongoing discussion. ‘Close attention’ was overstatement though; Natsume was pretty much letting words float over his head. Focusing on the flow of the conversation seems to be harder than usual, what’s with his current headache.

‘I guess running in the rain was a bad idea, huh. I didn’t have the chance to wipe down my clothes either. At least Sensei would be alright, since he’s warm and dry now… Then again, _youkai_ like Sensei wouldn’t catch a cold that easily.’ Natsume mused.  
Noticing that Tsukiko was standing from her seat, Natsume snapped out of his thoughts. Did he miss something from the conversation? Oh wait, she’s holding on to the teapot… to refill tea at the kitchen, perha--- A sneeze, followed by another shortly. Natsume tries to clear his head and look for tissue paper, until he realised that Natori has been waving his handkerchief in front of his face.

“Earth to Natsume? Are you alright? You don’t seem that well…” Natori frowned. Natsume shakes his head and mumbled a soft ‘thanks’, blowing hard into the handkerchief.

“I’m alright, Natori-san. Sorry for dirtying your handkerchief; I’ll wash it and return it back to you as soon---” A warm hand was placed on his back, effectively pausing him mid-sentence.

“Don’t fret over something as minor as getting my handkerchief dirty, Natsume. Also, your clothes are wet! You’re just going to fall sick at this rate, you know. Come on, let’s get you changed out of them.” Natori fussed.

“Wait, wha- Natori-san, why are you removing your shirt!”

“Quick, remove your jacket and put my shirt on. Don’t give me that look; it’s fine, I’m not as susceptible to colds unlike a certain someone.”

“... Natori-san is so mean.” Natsume pouted. The exorcist simply laughed.

Natori’s shirt was definitely too loose around the shoulders and a bit too long, yet, warmth seeped through it.

‘It really smells like Natori-san…’ Natsume thought.

 

* * *

 

 

Whatever happened afterwards was a blur of events: fighting, talking and more fighting. The unspoken conversation about the Book and Friends went unaddressed for the rest of the day, with the exorcist himself assuring Natsume that it was alright if the boy didn’t want to talk about it. There was hesitance - the urge to spill everything to Natori right then was overwhelming, but the weight of the Book of Friends convinced him otherwise.

Natsume knows that someday, he will eventually tell Natori-san about the Book, but today is not the day.

Not here, not now, not ready. All Natori offers is a reassuring pat on his head and a firm hand on his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

 

The incident is resolved by evening; having confronted Takuma’s shikis and ensuring the safety of the residents of the estate. Tsukiko bows gratefully as they leave and Takuma gives a short nod to Natori. The exorcist returns the gesture.

Natori walks Natsume to the train station in spite of Natsume’s initial reluctance.

“I have to ensure that you are well enough to make your way back to the Fujiwaras by yourself lest you faint on me. I guess I can carry you back there if you do faint, though. Like a princess.” Natori winks. Natsume rolls his eyes. Nyanko-sensei continues snoozing in Natsume’s arms.

They continue walking along the streets until Natsume breaks the silence.

“You know, Natori-san, I’ve glad to have met you.” Awkward silence ensues.

“...Pfft.” Natori looks genuinely surprised, then laughs. Natsume feels a bit embarrassed to have blurted that out all of a sudden.

“I-I mean, today’s incident just made me reflect a bit more about the people around me… While our ‘sight’ might have brought us misfortunes in one way or another, I’m glad that it has brought me to the Fujiwaras.” Natsume smiles.

“To have met Touko-san, Shigeru-san, my friends… and Natori-san, I really am grateful. Though, if I ever lose my ‘sight’ one day like Takuma-san, I wonder if Natori-san will still talk to me…” He lets the last part trail off, turning his face away in embarrassment.

“Sorry, please forget the last part---” A strong arm pulls Natsume right into the Natori’s chest, crushing him in a bear hug. Natori pats Natsume’s hair affectionately.

“Haha, you’re an honest boy as usual, Natsume. I’m not too sure if someone like you should be hanging out with me, but believe me when I say that I appreciate having you around.” The arms around Natsume tightened slightly. They remained in their position for a while more, feeling each other’s warmth on a cold, rainy day.

“Ahem… If you’re done with your humanly interactions, could you release Natsume so that I can breathe?” Nyanko-sensei huffs. The two jolted away from each other immediately, faces red. Nyanko-sensei jumps out of Natsume’s arms and trots away.

“Geez… Humans are such emotions driven creatures.”

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night, Natsume finds a paper doll stuck to his window.

‘Keep the handkerchief, it was a free gift from a sponsor company anyway! You can return me the shirt next time when you come over to my house ;) Rest well, recover soon.

-N.S.’

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey Natsume! Did you see the latest movie trailer starring Kanagawa Yui and Natori Shuuichi? Ahh… She’s really my goddess!” Nishimura sighs dramatically as he caresses his phone’s screen. Natsume shakes his head and blows into his handkerchief. While he was lucky he didn’t catch a cold, his runny nose has persisted for quite a few days.

“No, I haven’t. I don’t have a smartphone afterall.”

“Ehhhh? Come, let me show you!” Nishimura scoots over. Natsume obliges and watches the trailer distractedly, until Nishimura exclaims something and abruptly stands from his seat.

“What’s wrong, Nishimura?” Natsume was visibly startled. Nishimura looks at the handkerchief Natsume is holding, and then squints at his screen. Tanuma, Kitamoto and Taki crowds around the duo upon hearing the commotion.

“Don’t you think the handkerchief Natori Shuuichi is holding over here,” Nishimura points at the movie trailer, then points at Natsume’s handkerchief, “and Natsume’s handkerchief look exactly the same?”

Natsume choked. Tanuma seems to know where this is going, whereas the rest of his friends simply agreed with Nishimura.

“H-haha… I think it’s just a coincidence?”

“But I heard that the movie-exclusive apparels won’t even be on sale until next month! Where did you buy it from?” Natsume pales, then flushes red.

“Someone gave it to me…”

Nishimura doesn’t seem to buy it. “Natsume, it must have been someone involved in the production of the movie! Come on, spill the beans! What kind of connections do you have?” At this point, Nishimura has pretty much caught the attention of everyone in class.

“Speaking of which, Natori Shuiichi stood outside our school waiting for someone more than once, right? I wonder who he was looking for…” Kitamoto supplied helpfully. Natsume shot a pleading look at Tanuma for help, but all he got was a ‘Sorry, Natsume, you are on your own for this one.’

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang seems to have connected the dots.

“...” Natsume sighs.

Maaaybe it wasn’t so good being friends Natori Shuuichi after all.


End file.
